Monthly Archives: April 2011

Art Attacked in Avignon

Posted on April 18, 2011 by briansandberg

Artist and photographer Andres Serrano’s famous photographic work, Immersion Piss Christ (1987), was attacked today in Avignon.  This photograph created a major controversy in the United States over its perceived criticism of Catholicism and ignited a  debate over the public … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Contemporary Art, French History, Religious Violence, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Afghan War in Film

Posted on April 17, 2011 by briansandberg

A new documentary, Where Soldiers Come From, tells the story of a group of young men from Michigan who enlist in the National Guard and serve in the Afghan War.  The film was screened at the South by Southwest (SXSW) … Continue reading →

Posted in Empires and Imperialism, History of Violence, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

The Princess of Montpensier

Posted on April 15, 2011 by briansandberg

Bertrand Tavernier’s The Princess of Montpensier has been released.  The film focuses on the life of a young noblewoman at the Valois court during the French Wars of Religion. The film is an adaptation of a classic early French novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, French History, French Wars of Religion, Gender and Warfare, Historical Film, Religious Violence, War in Film, Warfare in the Early Modern World, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

University Administrators’ Salaries

Posted on April 11, 2011 by briansandberg

Salary inequities continue to get worse at universities and colleges across the United States.  Over the past generation, the number of administrators have grown, while faculty numbers have remained almost constant.  Those administrators’ salaries have also ballooned, while faculty salaries … Continue reading →

Posted in Education Policy, Humanities Education | Leave a comment

France Bans Niqab

Posted on April 11, 2011 by briansandberg

France is implementing a recent law banning the niqab, or full-face veil, in public spaces.  The French notion of laïcité, a version of secularism, is being used to justify outlawing the niqab, as well as to argue for banning other … Continue reading →

Posted in French History, Globalization, Human Rights, Mediterranean World, Religious Violence, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

“Books as Bombs”

Posted on April 11, 2011 by briansandberg

The potential of books to shape ideas and policies is often debated, but a new piece on “books as bombs” in the Independent offers a short introduction to the issue—using Catch-22 as a key example. Check out the piece on … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, History in the Media, History of the Book, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

New Book on La Grande Illusion

Posted on April 10, 2011 by briansandberg

Jean Renoir’s film La Grande Illusion (1937) is a brilliant film set in a prisoner-of-war camp during the First World War. A recent book by Martin O’Shaughnessy reexamines this classic film: Martin O’Shaughnessy. La Grande Illusion (London and New York: … Continue reading →

Posted in French History, Historical Film, Uncategorized, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

New French Military Policy

Posted on April 10, 2011 by briansandberg

Nicolas Sarkozy has suddenly developed a new French foreign policy that stresses aggressive military intervention.  The French Armée de l’Air has intervened powerfully in the Libyan civil war and French ground forces are on the ground in the Ivory Coast … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Empires and Imperialism, French History, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Bunga Bunga Jokes

Posted on April 10, 2011 by briansandberg

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi continues to ridicule Italian women and the Italian justice system as his latest trial moves forward. Berlusconi’s latest mode of ridicule is to “invite” young women to “bunga, bunga” parties during a ceremony honoring college graduates.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Italian History, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Warrior Pursuits in Libraries

Posted on April 9, 2011 by briansandberg

Warrior Pursuits is now available at a library near you. I am pleased to see that Warrior Pursuits has now been cataloged in 144 libraries worldwide. WorldCat online catalog allows you to search for books in libraries near you.  Try … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Research, French Wars of Religion, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment